The scent of winter reached the tip of his nose. It was the first winter Ian had experienced since he began to perceive things properly.
“Are you curious?”
Ian's eyes sparkled as he discovered the snow melting away in his palm. Mrs. Howard looked at Ian, held in Ivan's arms, with a fondness for him.
“How come you get cuter as the days go by?”
Of course, since Ivan was his biological father and Amelia was his biological mother, it was only natural. Ivan thought this and held his son, who was swaying excitedly, a little more tightly. His muscles had grown considerably recently, and if he let his guard down, he'd easily miss the moment he fell backwards. The child's growth was so rapid that it felt like only yesterday he'd struggled to hold him, unable to muster any strength.
“Mrs. Howard is like a grandmother to you, Ian.”
Ivan tapped his son's forehead with his finger, drawing his attention. Ian looked up at his father with bright eyes. Then, as if to warn him not to do anything, he neatly slapped Ivan's hand away.
“Your Majesty is like a son to me.”
“Are you curious?”
Ian's eyes sparkled as he discovered the snow melting away in his palm. Mrs. Howard looked at Ian, held in Ivan's arms, with a fondness for him.
“How come you get cuter as the days go by?”
Of course, since Ivan was his biological father and Amelia was his biological mother, it was only natural. Ivan thought this and held his son, who was swaying excitedly, a little more tightly. His muscles had grown considerably recently, and if he let his guard down, he'd easily miss the moment he fell backwards. The child's growth was so rapid that it felt like only yesterday he'd struggled to hold him, unable to muster any strength.
“Mrs. Howard is like a grandmother to you, Ian.”
Ivan tapped his son's forehead with his finger, drawing his attention. Ian looked up at his father with bright eyes. Then, as if to warn him not to do anything, he neatly slapped Ivan's hand away.
“Your Majesty is like a son to me.”
“Because I'm your son.”
When Ivan responded, as if she could hear everything, Mrs. Howard smiled with satisfaction. Her face was like that of a mother watching her child grow into a strong parent. She knew he would eventually become a father, but she never imagined he would become so overflowing with paternal love.
“I really wish I were His Highness the Crown Prince’s grandmother.”
It was a brazen rebuke, a blatant accusation that a nanny would dare to covet the royal position. However, Ivan, knowing that Mrs. Howard truly desired the role of "grandmother" to Ian, not "Empress Dowager," but didn't pay much attention. If Ivan were truly her biological grandson, Mrs. Howard wouldn't have hidden her displeasure in the first place.
“It would be faster to get Rodan married and have grandchildren.”
Mrs. Howard shook her head at Ivan's advice.
"Well."
Mrs. Howard was not pleased with even the loyal and reasonable Rodan. So Ivan realized that if he were truly Mrs. Howard's child, he might have killed someone with a disease.
“Your Majesty...”
Mrs. Howard cautiously lifted the lid. Ivan carefully placed Ian, who was whining for him to come down, on the floor. Ian, wearing fur gloves and a hat, walked unsteadily. He then merrily raked the snow on the ground with his hands.
“Don’t you ever plan on having other children?”
Ivan looked away from Mrs. Howard. He quietly watched Ian, who was leading the maids around, anxiously watching him like someone waiting for them to move away, afraid of hearing something unpleasant.
"No."
And just as Ian stumbled and fell to the floor, Ivan answered. The maids, startled, scrambled to Ian's feet and shook him off his hands and knees.
“I love Ian because he is Ian.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t know he would fall in love like this.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
At first, she didn't realize she would fall in love with Ian. She arrogantly saw Amelia as nothing more than a means to an end.
“But I know that if I had a child with another woman, I wouldn’t love that child the way I love Ian.”
“...”
“As Mrs. Howard said, I love Ian. But I love that woman’s face reflected in that child’s face even more than Ian’s.”
Ivan spoke in a flowing voice. But it wasn't something so light as to be dismissed.
“Sometimes I feel guilty.”
It wasn't simply love for a child, but rather, a love for the child of the woman he loved. That feeling couldn't have been as light as a feather. It was also a sense of loss for something he had lost.
"Your Majesty."
"And how long has it been since I broke off the engagement? Do you really want to make it so that Count Clarke will chase me with his sword?"
After Mrs. Howard had poked Ivan in the wrong place; he was at a loss. Ivan joked about the Count of Clark.
“That’s true too.”
Mrs. Howard answered with a feeble smile. Ivan and Jane Clarke's engagement had been broken off for about two months. When Ivan mentioned it, Margrave Clarke, as expected, was furious. He was furious, asking if he was abandoning his daughter just because they hadn't held a separate engagement ceremony.
“Stop it, Father.”
After a month, Jane Clarke, who had been quietly waiting for the matter to be resolved, stepped forward. She calmed her father and asked Ivan to give her a gift commensurate with his guilt.
“I will give you the title of Countess.”
Ivan held three titles, acquired by beheading someone. He bestowed one, the Countess, on Jane Clarke. Jane Clarke was deeply pleased and agreed to the breakup. Seeing her child satisfied, Margrave Clarke no longer protested. Their relationship, initially insignificant, ended in a rather unimpressive manner.
“Are you going to wait for her?”
So why did I want to marry the woman I truly loved, even if it meant hurting her? With a faint sense of regret, he searched through memories of a past he could no longer fathom.
Mrs. Howard asked a question. It was the same tone Rodan had used to ask, his face filled with worry, as if someone might question him.
"Maybe."
“...”
In Ivan's answer, Mrs. Howard lowered her eyes, her expression sad. She had cherished Ivan like her own child, raising him in her arms, so it was understandable that she felt so bad. Now that she's a parent, she understands how he feels.
“I’m sorry to you.”
Ivan apologized. Mrs. Howard looked up in surprise.
“If this keeps up, he's going to catch a cold.”
She tried to say "okay," but Ivan had already passed Mrs. Howard was picking Ian up from the floor, his nose red. Ian, who had been whining about wanting to play more, was now held high by his father, and he chuckled, finding it delightful.
“I think he has a bit of a fever.”
Mrs. Howard felt a little sad because, even to her, the face resembled that of a woman who had now disappeared.
“I understand you’re allowing us to play in the cold. I think it’s best to go in now.”
But someday, after so much time, won't it become dull? Mrs. Howard guessed so, wrapping Ian's back in the thick blanket she was holding. Perhaps because he was cold, Ian snuggled tightly into his father's embrace. It was hard to tell at the time whether his ragged breathing was due to excitement or something else entirely.
“Have you heard from Lure Chandler?”
The man who had received Rodan's request nodded, observing his reaction.
"I've been watching the area in front of the house, but there's still no sign of him. No one has returned. I often ask people living nearby about Lure Chandler's whereabouts, but they just say they don't know."
Rodan sighed with a weary face. It had already been over half a year since Lure Chandler set sail. He'd said it would take two months to reach the island he'd discovered, so if he'd returned, he should have done so long ago. But there was no sign of his return.
“...”
Recently, Ivan had shown a surprisingly sharp reaction regarding Ian's safety. It was just that it wasn't visible to the eye, but the same must have been true for Amelia. In truth, he couldn't reveal it, but one could guess he was even more fixated on news about Amelia.
“I really wish I were His Highness the Crown Prince’s grandmother.”
It was a brazen rebuke, a blatant accusation that a nanny would dare to covet the royal position. However, Ivan, knowing that Mrs. Howard truly desired the role of "grandmother" to Ian, not "Empress Dowager," but didn't pay much attention. If Ivan were truly her biological grandson, Mrs. Howard wouldn't have hidden her displeasure in the first place.
“It would be faster to get Rodan married and have grandchildren.”
Mrs. Howard shook her head at Ivan's advice.
"Well."
Mrs. Howard was not pleased with even the loyal and reasonable Rodan. So Ivan realized that if he were truly Mrs. Howard's child, he might have killed someone with a disease.
“Your Majesty...”
Mrs. Howard cautiously lifted the lid. Ivan carefully placed Ian, who was whining for him to come down, on the floor. Ian, wearing fur gloves and a hat, walked unsteadily. He then merrily raked the snow on the ground with his hands.
“Don’t you ever plan on having other children?”
Ivan looked away from Mrs. Howard. He quietly watched Ian, who was leading the maids around, anxiously watching him like someone waiting for them to move away, afraid of hearing something unpleasant.
"No."
And just as Ian stumbled and fell to the floor, Ivan answered. The maids, startled, scrambled to Ian's feet and shook him off his hands and knees.
“I love Ian because he is Ian.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t know he would fall in love like this.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
At first, she didn't realize she would fall in love with Ian. She arrogantly saw Amelia as nothing more than a means to an end.
“But I know that if I had a child with another woman, I wouldn’t love that child the way I love Ian.”
“...”
“As Mrs. Howard said, I love Ian. But I love that woman’s face reflected in that child’s face even more than Ian’s.”
Ivan spoke in a flowing voice. But it wasn't something so light as to be dismissed.
“Sometimes I feel guilty.”
It wasn't simply love for a child, but rather, a love for the child of the woman he loved. That feeling couldn't have been as light as a feather. It was also a sense of loss for something he had lost.
"Your Majesty."
"And how long has it been since I broke off the engagement? Do you really want to make it so that Count Clarke will chase me with his sword?"
After Mrs. Howard had poked Ivan in the wrong place; he was at a loss. Ivan joked about the Count of Clark.
“That’s true too.”
Mrs. Howard answered with a feeble smile. Ivan and Jane Clarke's engagement had been broken off for about two months. When Ivan mentioned it, Margrave Clarke, as expected, was furious. He was furious, asking if he was abandoning his daughter just because they hadn't held a separate engagement ceremony.
“Stop it, Father.”
After a month, Jane Clarke, who had been quietly waiting for the matter to be resolved, stepped forward. She calmed her father and asked Ivan to give her a gift commensurate with his guilt.
“I will give you the title of Countess.”
Ivan held three titles, acquired by beheading someone. He bestowed one, the Countess, on Jane Clarke. Jane Clarke was deeply pleased and agreed to the breakup. Seeing her child satisfied, Margrave Clarke no longer protested. Their relationship, initially insignificant, ended in a rather unimpressive manner.
“Are you going to wait for her?”
So why did I want to marry the woman I truly loved, even if it meant hurting her? With a faint sense of regret, he searched through memories of a past he could no longer fathom.
Mrs. Howard asked a question. It was the same tone Rodan had used to ask, his face filled with worry, as if someone might question him.
"Maybe."
“...”
“ Continuation.”
“I’m sorry to you.”
Ivan apologized. Mrs. Howard looked up in surprise.
“If this keeps up, he's going to catch a cold.”
She tried to say "okay," but Ivan had already passed Mrs. Howard was picking Ian up from the floor, his nose red. Ian, who had been whining about wanting to play more, was now held high by his father, and he chuckled, finding it delightful.
“I think he has a bit of a fever.”
Mrs. Howard felt a little sad because, even to her, the face resembled that of a woman who had now disappeared.
“I understand you’re allowing us to play in the cold. I think it’s best to go in now.”
But someday, after so much time, won't it become dull? Mrs. Howard guessed so, wrapping Ian's back in the thick blanket she was holding. Perhaps because he was cold, Ian snuggled tightly into his father's embrace. It was hard to tell at the time whether his ragged breathing was due to excitement or something else entirely.
***
“Have you heard from Lure Chandler?”
The man who had received Rodan's request nodded, observing his reaction.
"I've been watching the area in front of the house, but there's still no sign of him. No one has returned. I often ask people living nearby about Lure Chandler's whereabouts, but they just say they don't know."
Rodan sighed with a weary face. It had already been over half a year since Lure Chandler set sail. He'd said it would take two months to reach the island he'd discovered, so if he'd returned, he should have done so long ago. But there was no sign of his return.
“...”
Recently, Ivan had shown a surprisingly sharp reaction regarding Ian's safety. It was just that it wasn't visible to the eye, but the same must have been true for Amelia. In truth, he couldn't reveal it, but one could guess he was even more fixated on news about Amelia.
So, on the third full month of Lure Chandler's voyage, Rodan began to monitor Lure Chandler's movements, for he needed to report Amelia's safety to his sensitive master.
"What about the others? Of the names I relayed, was there anyone you found in your home country?"
Rodan sent someone to ensure Lure Chandler's return and that he hadn't immediately departed for his hometown or elsewhere. He then set sail on a ship following the same route as the copy of the navigational chart Lure Chandler had left behind.
“I found one person who was with Lure Chandler on his first voyage, but not on his second.”
“Have you met him?”
And then he forgot about it for a while. Since he wasn't being chased anywhere, he could take his time on the way back. That's what he thought.
Then, realizing that the ship he had recently sent to track down Lure Chandler was due to return, he began to frantically ask around, even to people who knew anything about the land.
“Yes, we did meet, but...”
However, the words of the person Rodan had entrusted with the investigation were quite vague.
"Why?"
Rodan asked with an anxious heart.
“Lure Chandler is just a braggart and a liar...”
It was a familiar evaluation method that Rodan had always associated with Lure Chandler. But it felt particularly unsettling.
"They say there were people in that land with black hair and dark eyes, but unlike the false Priestess, their skin was dark. There was no gold or jewels on the land, and the island was so small that there wasn't much to see. That's why they didn't go on the second voyage."
“...”
“It is clear that the braggart even fooled His Majesty the Emperor...”
The man in front of Rodan paused before he could finish his sentence. Feeling a strange sense of unease, Rodan turned his head and looked back.
“What did you just say?”
“Huh? That, that’s...”
Ivan was there, his face in denial, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.v
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